OUR VIEW

Prepare for impact of sequestration

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Feb 26, 2013

Not that elected officials on the home front don't have enough strictly local concerns to handle, but Hawaii voters have got to be hoping that lawmakers and Gov. Neil Abercrombie are keeping the latest federal fiscal bombshell in mind and adjust their legislative priorities accordingly.
The country seems all but certain to undergo a budgetary shock, a provision known as "sequestration" that was passed in 2011 as a trigger. Essentially, the government placed a gun to its head — across-the-board cuts of discretionary spending, set to take effect on Friday — in a move intended to force a less-radical compromise in reducing the deficit and, ultimately, the nation's mounting debt. The thought was that leaders would be motivated to avoid such indiscriminate cutbacks in spending and seek a more measured, reasoned approach.

Not that elected officials on the home front don't have enough strictly local concerns to handle, but Hawaii voters have got to be hoping that lawmakers and Gov. Neil Abercrombie are keeping the latest federal fiscal bombshell in mind and adjust their legislative priorities accordingly.

The country seems all but certain to undergo a budgetary shock, a provision known as "sequestration" that was passed in 2011 as a trigger. Essentially, the government placed a gun to its head — across-the-board cuts of discretionary spending, set to take effect on Friday — in a move intended to force a less-radical compromise in reducing the deficit and, ultimately, the nation's mounting debt. The thought was that leaders would be motivated to avoid such indiscriminate cutbacks in spending and seek a more measured, reasoned approach. Login for more...